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Summary: In a parked motor home outside Lake Michigan, agents of the Machination patiently pass the time by running virtual reality simulations of attack plans for combating Transformers. “Mr. Drake” is the overseer of this particular operation, and wants his team to be prepared to surround and destroy one of these “alien mechs” when they show themselves. But so far, the waters of the lake have been calm for days. Drake is confident that something will show up soon however. Speaking of said Lake Michigan, we then cut to its deepest point, where the Autobots’ current Earthbase- Ark-19, rests. Ratchet breaks the news to Hunter, Verity, and Jimmy that they have to leave. Hunter and Jimmy are very vocal on their desire to remain here with the Autobots. Hunter feels that he can’t return to his ordinary life, knowing what he knows now, and Jimmy doesn’t think the insurance will cover the destruction of his garage (From Infiltration # 2). Ratchet is sympathetic to their pleas, so Hunter speculates that it is Prowl that is ordering them kicked out and feels a bit insulted at being dismissed so casually. Ratchet tries to explain that the information that they know can’t do any harm now and the Decepticons don’t look for petty retribution, but Hunter doesn’t want to hear the rationalizations. Verity has been quiet thus far, so Jimmy asks what she thinks on the subject. The normally outspoken girl simply states that no one’s wanted her anywhere since she was little and this is no change from how she’s used to being treated. She walks away, followed by the two boys, as Ratchet gives the nearby Ironhide and Jazz a look. Meanwhile in the Decepticon command bunker in Oregon, Megatron asks Astrotrain to give him a rundown on what Ore-13 is. Astrotrain explains that it is similar to Energon, but much more potent and they have located eleven distinct seams of it on Earth so far. Megatron observes a holographic image of the planet as he acknowledges the reason Starscream thought he could pursue his own agenda here. Naturally occurring Energon was up until this point, assumed to exist only on Cybertron. Megatron mentions with some distaste that they have been using artificial substitutes for quite awhile and he can’t help but wonder if evolution had a helping hand on Earth. But whatever the case, its presence on Earth means a new frontline for the war. Megatron orders Astrotrain to give him a full summary of Starscream’s infiltration plans, as the staging process needs to progress faster if they are to achieve a long-term victory. Back at Lake Michigan in Ark-19, the kids are preparing to leave. Verity passes the time by playing a video game apparently designed by Sunstreaker, which naturally, features him as the main character. Hunter’s annoyed that the Autobots have gone to the trouble of making them comfortable, only to now wanting them out. Jazz’s holo-avatar pops in to thank the kids for their lessons on better integration on Earth. Hunter admits that Jazz, Ratchet, and Ironhide all made them feel welcome here, and tells Verity it is time to go. Verity acknowledges without much enthusiasm, as Jimmy explains to Jazz that she is simply putting up her usual tough-girl front. The room expands, revealing some of the other Autobots present to see the humans off. Hunter is somewhat surprised that Sunstreaker is there, to which the anti-social Autobot responds that it was Prowl’s idea. Ratchet explains that Ironhide and Sunstreaker will be seeing the kids off back to the outside world instead of him. He thinks it is Prowl’s way of punishing him for disobeying orders (Throughout Infiltration). Ratchet tells the humans to take care as Sunstreaker impatiently tells Ironhide to transform so they can get going. Elsewhere in Ark-19, Optimus Prime continues micro-managing the Autobot/Decepticon conflict throughout the galaxy, receiving reports from all over through multiple view screens. Prowl enters the room to inform him that the humans have left. Optimus thanks Prowl and affirms that it is important that they keep their distance from the native species of the planets they protect. After all; they may not be able to prevent the planet from falling to the Decepticons in the end. Prime then goes on to tell Prowl of a report he has just received, mined from Bludgeon’s data-well on Cybertron. Apparently there are separate historical records that reference Decepticons Shockwave and Soundwave as both having arrived on Earth way before even the Autobots and Decepticon armies established their bases of operation here. If that is the case, it raises the question as to the current whereabouts of these two Decepticons. Meanwhile outside, the monitoring Machination unit gets confirmation of two targets surfacing from the water. Drake orders his mobile units to get in place and satellite-tracking is engaged to lock onto the targets. Vehicle mode Ironhide and Sunstreaker arise from the surface of the lake on a platform and quickly depart, as the Machination monitoring vehicle moves to follow them. Within the vehicle, Drake coordinates other attack units to establish an intercept point for an ambush. Elsewhere on a busy highway, Sunstreaker speeds along until Ironhide orders him to maintain the speed limit, much to the vain Autobot’s disgust. Sunstreaker asks where they are going, and Hunter tells him Tulsa, Oklahoma; which is where he lives apparently. Behind them, Verity and Jimmy ride in Ironhide, both looking somewhat bored. Meanwhile at the Decepticon command bunker in Oregon, Megatron holds summit with the Earthbound Decepticon infiltration team, minus Starscream, of course. He informs them that he is willing to overlook their borderline treason, but there will be no second chances after this. The six remaining Decepticons quickly acknowledge that they understand. Megatron mentions that, while Starscream pursued his own agenda, he did lay the foundations for a staging process upgrade rather nicely. With that, he orders Astrotrain to activate the “facsimiles” to begin phase two of the infiltration process. Meanwhile on a highway in Lebanon, Michigan, the Machination begins their ambush operation. One of the mobile units deploys wheeled drones onto the highway, which drive into busy traffic and cause chaos, knocking cars off the road. The drones then fire mini-missiles that blow up several pedestrian vehicles and cause a massive pile-up on the road. Then the motor home that Drake is commanding the operation from pulls over to the side of the road and waits in position near the pile-up. Sunstreaker and Ironhide are forced to stop as traffic becomes gridlocked. Within Ironhide, Jimmy suggests that they should try to help the people caught in the accident. Ironhide however orders them to stay put, sensing that something isn’t right. The motor home that Drake is riding in then begins creating a thick cloud of smoke that wraps around the whole section of highway. Within Sunstreaker, Hunter wonders what is happening. Sunstreaker tries to radio Ironhide, but something is blocking their internal communication system. Ironhide knows this is a trap now and forcibly rams his way out of traffic, much to Verity and Jimmy’s displeasure. Quickly, Machination agents led by Drake spill out of the motor home and surround Sunstreaker. Drake orders another mobile unit to halt Ironhide. As Ironhide tries to get around traffic to Sunstreaker, a jeep passes him and drops a mine. Ironhide runs over the mine, which explodes and ruins his escape path. Meanwhile, Hunter notes the Machination agents surrounding them and Sunstreaker begins to deploy his external weaponry. Hunter protests this move, as there are many innocent victims around that could be injured. Sunstreaker is open to further suggestions, but before he can make another move, a Machination agent fires a device that latches onto the Autobot’s exterior. The device sends an electrical charge through Sunstreaker that surprisingly stuns the Autobot. Before Hunter can do anything else, another Machination agent fires an explosive projectile at the immobile Autobot. The projectile strikes Sunstreaker and causes massive damage to him. Ironhide finally manages to get through the traffic, as Verity and Jimmy strain to see what is happening through the smokescreen. As Ironhide gets close enough, the sight that greets them is horrifying. Sunstreaker is a burning wreck, and there is no sign of Hunter. TO BE CONTINUED! Slagged!: -The Machination agents are out for blood, or should that be oil? They don’t care who gets hurt as long as they nail a Transformer in exchange. Although nothing is explicitly shown, it’s hard to imagine that there were no humans killed in their ambush operation. -Sunstreaker is stunned and then reduced to a burning wreck- these humans clearly know how to hurt Transformers. Hunter’s fate is left more nebulous for now, although I can’t imagine him being in too good of shape after this. Sightings: -Sunstreaker apparently designed a video game or simulator of sorts for the humans to play with. It involves driving as Sunstreaker and defeating Runamuck and Runabout. -The Autobots that Prime receives reports from are, from left to right- Jetfire (wearing his helmet), Springer below him, Ultra Magnus in the center, and Silverbolt over on the right. -It would seem that Skywarp and Blitzwing have recovered from their thrashing at Megatron’s hands in Infiltration # 5, as they are both present at Megatron’s little meeting. Starscream is likely being kept in stasis for his treacherous actions in the same arc. -Running over a mine doesn’t seem to damage Ironhide in the least, aside from scorching his paint. This is rather consistent with previous portrayals, given Ironhide’s defensive capabilities. Hearings: -Megatron postulates that Ore-13 forming on Earth was not a natural occurrence. He’d be right, of course- we saw in the Shockwave Spotlight that old one-eye was responsible for seeding the Earth with Energon long ago. -Jazz mentions how he didn’t know the fixed smiles on the Autobots’ holo-avatars were creeping people out- a reference to Infiltration where most of the Autobots’ holo-avatars all had creepy fixed smiles. Even the fans commented on how disconcerting it was, so Furman seems to have addressed that. Furthermore, it seems Jazz’s holo-avatar, at least, is now capable of a full range of expressions thanks to advice from Hunter and the others. Also, integrating with Earth culture has always been one of Jazz’s main character attributes in any Transformers fiction, so his learning from the kids is consistent with previous portrayals of the character. -Jetfire is still examining Bludgeon’s files on Cybertron, as indicated by his report to Prime and what Prime tells Prowl in the same scene. Ultra Magnus’s brief comment will lead into his Spotlight issue, and Springer and Silverbolt simply are squad leaders tracking different Decepticon infiltration units. Prime mentions historical reference to both Shockwave and Soundwave being on Earth earlier than any other Cybertronians. Shockwave, of course, was last seen being dug up by present day Earth archeologists at the end of his Spotlight issue. And I’m sure Soundwave’s whereabouts will pop up either in this series or his Spotlight issue. Wreck and RULE!: -A stellar start to a new arc, Escalation # 1 demonstrates a faster pace and more polished art right from the get-go. Many fans were unimpressed with Infiltration’s story and artwork, but these concerns seem to have been addressed with flair in this issue. EJ Su’s art has never looked better than it does here, and Furman leaps right into the plot on Earth, now that Infiltration has established the setting and characters and Stormbringer gave us a glimpse of Cybertron. -Several good moments to enjoy in this issue; I thought the Sunstreaker video game was fairly clever and funny. Megatron’s “lecture” to his troops gives us more of a look into this more even-edged, disciplined version of the Decepticon leader, and of course the Decepticons’ succinct responses were pretty funny too. The Jazz holo-avatar scene was also rather amusing, and gave some characterization time to Jazz who got very little panel-time in Infiltration. And of course we see how the Machination works- this group of cold-blooded humans is actually a viable threat to Transformers, without seeming silly or unrealistic; a feat rarely accomplished. And finally, a great cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more; will Furman kill off one of his human cast this early in the game? Wreck and ROT!: -I’m sure the answers are coming, but in Infiltration it was implied that the Machination wanted to capture a Transformer, yet here it is apparent they are out to destroy one. It just seems strange now, but I’m sure Furman is going to address this later. Another issue that needs to be addressed is how a single human armed with a rocket launcher can reduce Sunstreaker to such a state. Again, I’m sure the answers are coming, but for now it may seem annoying. -The two covers to this issue, combined with the solicitations for future issues, can paint a clear picture of what was going to happen at the end. Thus, the twist at the end probably didn’t come as much of a shock to many people. Let’s hope further twists are kept under IDW’s collective hats. -Many fans have pointed this out in previous issues- Furman keeps using the word “indigent” when he probably means “indigenous”. Final Judgment: The ball is sure rolling now. Escalation # 1 builds on everything beforehand and looks to truly escalate the conflict on Earth and in general. While somewhat expected, the cliffhanger still is a good one, and I for one can’t wait for the next issue. EJ Su’s art is looking great and Furman’s scripts are still as engaging as ever. I haven’t felt this excited about Transformers fiction in some time. Buy this issue, now! Peace. A Thunderwing review
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